Integran’s Nanoplating Technology Applications Granted US Patent

Toronto-based Integran Technologies Inc. (Integran) today announced US 8,486,319 issued July 16, 2013 describing new applications for its nanoplating technology (Nanovate™ NP) for imprinting polymer surfaces to render them super-hydrophobic and/or self-cleaning.

Integran's President & CEO Gino Palumbo stated, "We are pleased that our co-developments with the University of Toronto relating to extremely water-repellent surfaces have been recognized by the United States Patent Office. Our new technology can be used to form durable metal dies for imprinting a variety of polymer surfaces to achieve superior water repellent properties without the need to apply a release agent. The new technology can be applied in a number of convenient ways including in high volume production processes such as injection molding by applying a Nanovate™ coating to the molds, processing the coating to form the desired surface features and forming polymer parts with super-hydrophobic surfaces. Alternatively formed polymer parts can be embossed with the Nanovate™ dies to induce water repellency."

Professor Uwe Erb of the University of Toronto said: "This is an excellent example of effective university-industry collaboration where the basic research conducted at the University of Toronto on naturally occurring structures formed the basis of a new practical polymer manufacturing technology. Targeted basic research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Ontario Research Fund - Research Excellence (ORF-RE) really generates outstanding results for our manufacturing industries".